Rethinking rehabilitation

Embedding person-centredness

Making a difference

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The AUT Person-Centred Rehabilitation Research Centre (PCR)

is a transdisciplinary research centre based in the School of Allied Health

Our aims and purpose

Our core aim is to make a meaningful difference to the long-term health and well-being of people and whānau impacted by injury, illness, or disability through transformative, person-centred rehabilitation research and knowledge exchange.

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Resources

We've collated a number of resources based on findings from our projects on our website.

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Projects

We engage in a diversity of research projects. Explore our current mahi on our website.

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Recent Submissions

Access status: Open Access ,
Advancing Engagement of People With Lived Experience of Stroke in Recovery and Rehabilitation Research: Consensus-based Core Recommendations From the Fourth Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable
(SAGE Publications, 2026-06-26) Lynch, Elizabeth; Bright, Felicity; Chamberlain, Saran; Adebajo, Adewale; Campbell, Pauline; Chen, Donna; English, Coralie Kym; Graham, Ian; Isaksen, Jytte; Manning, Molly X; Mohapatra, Sidhiprada; Nelson, Michelle; Nesbitt, Katie; Rackoll, Torsten; Thilarajah, Shamala; Zeiler, Steve; Kidd, Lisa
RATIONALE: There is a growing recognition of the importance of engaging with people with lived experience (PWLE) to support research relevance and impact. However, there is little specific guidance for stroke recovery and rehabilitation researchers about how best to engage with PWLE of stroke in research, who face additional barriers to engaging due to common post-stroke sequalae including communication and cognitive difficulties, sensory and perceptual impairments, emotional wellbeing, and fatigue. The aim of this Roundtable was to develop recommendations to support researchers to engage with PWLE of stroke in primary and secondary research conducted in laboratory, clinical, health system or community settings. METHODS: We convened an interdisciplinary, international taskforce comprising researchers and lived experience experts (n=16) to create recommendations to support researchers to engage with PWLE of stroke meaningfully and respectfully. Guided by priorities and key gaps identified by taskforce members, and underpinned by grey and published literature, we formed discrete workgroups to develop consensus-based recommendations and guidance documents addressing common barriers to engagement in stroke research. The recommendations and guides were reviewed, and consensus was reached during a 2-day hybrid in-person/online meeting of the taskforce. These were further refined through consultation with international experts in research engagement. RESULTS: We created the EMBED (Engaging Meaningfully to Build research with people with lived Experience to Drive improvements in stroke research) framework, consisting of five consensus recommendations: Select the engagement approach; Identify people to engage with; Embed accessible and inclusive ways of working; Support and strengthen accessibility and inclusivity; Report accessibility and inclusivity. Ten guidance documents provide practical support to researchers to engage with PWLE of stroke in all research settings. CONCLUSIONS: The EMBED framework provides researchers with pragmatic and structured support to engage with PWLE in stroke research.
Access status: Open Access ,
Supporting Well-being After Stroke: A Framework for Care That Supports Well-being
(Person Centred Rehabilitation Research Centre, 2024) Bright, Felicity; Wilson, Bobbie-Jo; Ibell-Roberts, Claire; Signal, Nada; Featherstone, Katie; Collier, Aileen; Fu, Vivian
[Background to the Framework] Well-being is important for living well and flourishing after stroke. However, a focus on well-being is not routinely integrated into stroke care, resulting in it being a leading area of unmet need following stroke (Stroke Association, 2015). This framework was developed as part of the study “Psychosocial well-being after stroke: A study of care practices and processes in Aotearoa New Zealand”. This study explored: -How people experience well-being after stroke in Aotearoa New Zealand. -How stroke care practices can influence well-being. -How services and care might change to more consistently support well-being. While stroke survivors and whānau in this research described some pivotal events in care that influenced their well-being, it became clear that well-being was influenced by a myriad of ‘small moments and small actions’ woven throughout their experience of stroke services. This framework aims to make these ‘small moments and small actions’ visible, and to illustrate how services could “do things different” as we were prompted by stroke survivor, Poihaere Morris (Ngāti Awa). The framework aims to foster a proactive approach to supporting well-being after stroke, offering examples of actions that may be considered by policy makers, educators, service leaders, and individual healthcare professionals to prioritise well-being in stroke care.
Access status: Open Access ,
Unspoken, Unseen and at Time Silenced: The Emotional Work of People in Stroke Services in Aotearoa
(Person Centred Rehabilitation Research Centre, 2023) Ibell-Roberts, Claire; Wilson, Bobbie-Jo; Bright, Felicity
Background Well-being is critical to living well and flourishing after stroke. While physical aspects of recovery are commonly well addressed within services, broader aspects of well-being, including emotional aspects, can remain unrecognised and unsupported in care. Study aim: To identify how people’s experiences in stroke services impact on well-being. Methodology: Interpretive Description, exploring the experiences of people, family and whānau in stroke services Data gathering: Semi-structured interviews. 24 people with stroke and 13 family and whānau members Data analysis: Reflexive thematic analysis Findings: People undertake significant emotional work to navigate the impacts of stroke. People are involved in sense-making about the past and why the stroke occurred, (re)negotiating what is meaningful, navigating deep uncertainty and feelings of disconnection from self, from important others, and from elements of meaning in life. However, the depth of this work was reportedly unseen by others, sometimes hidden from staff, and at times, made visible but then actively or passively silenced through care practices. This could compound the emotional burden carried by people with stroke and whānau, and overall, contributed to people feeling alone and unheard. This burden could be mediated through the inherent resources that people held, through family, whānau and social networks, through cultural and spiritual identity, and through the practices of stroke clinicians.
Access status: Open Access ,
Grey Matters
(Person Centred Rehabilitation Research Centre, 2020-01) Kayes, Nicola; McPherson, Kathryn; Norris, Pauline; Hale, Leigh; Collier, Guy; Reay, Stephen; Hayes, Nick; Worrall, Richard; Mudge, Suzie; Babbage, Duncan; Peri, Kathy; Khoo, Cassie
What is Grey Matters? Your brain, like every other organ in your body, changes over time. Forgetfulness, for example, is a natural part of the ageing process. It’s common to experience other changes too: you might start to notice that you are finding it more difficult to come up with the right word, or losing the thread of conversations, books, and movies. Some people may experience only minor changes to their memory and thinking, while others may find that these changes are starting to interfere with their daily activities. People often come up with unique ways of managing these changes, so there is a lot we can learn from each other. Grey Matters is designed with and for people experiencing changes to their memory and thinking. It is a place where you can: • Learn about the ageing brain and how to keep your brain healthy • Explore the different strategies people use to help them through the day • Hear about the Tips, Tricks and Experiences of others that might help you
Access status: Open Access ,
WSS - The Work-ability Support Scale
(Person Centred Rehabilitation Research Centre, 2022-12-15) Turner-Stokes, Lynne; McPherson, Kathryn; Fadyl, Joanna
WSS is a measure designed to assess an individual's ability to work and support needs in the context of their normal working environment following the onset of acquired disability. WSS is also used to support decision-making with regard to vocational rehabilitation. It is designed to be used both for people actually in work, or as a planning tool for those considering returning to work. The tool has 16 items across three domains of work functioning: -Physical / Environment -Thinking and communicating -Social / Behavioural Scores range from 1 for constant support, to 7 for independence. There are also an additional 7 items related to contextual factors outside the workplace that could affect work functioning. (N.B. This measure is in the process of being updated)